18 Flags For Veterans Placed Around County

KEOKUK COUNTY – On Nov. 9, the Veteran Flagpole Initiative, a non-profit that puts up flag poles in the yards of Iowa veterans, held an event called “Operation Chief 54,” which put up 18 flagpoles across the county in a single day. These 18 flag poles brought the number the organization has placed up to 100 exactly, VFI, established in 2021, plans to place a flagpole in each of Iowa’s 99 counties by 2028.

VFI has a database of veterans nominated by members of their community. They also accept sponsorships to guarantee a flag pole gets put up in a specific yard. The flagpoles were put up by dozens of local volunteers. Several members of VFI grew up in Keokuk County, including President Eric Dolash, who grew up in Sigourney. “This was maybe a little bit selfish on our part, but we wanted to make sure that we took care of this county as kinda our main effort of trying this process out,” said Dolash.

After putting up the flagpoles, a banquet was held at the Izaak Walton League, with all of the veterans who received a flag pole invited.

One flagpole was put up in the Keswick Town Park. The flagpole, larger than most VFI puts up, represents five local veteran families and will be shared by the community. “This is an excellent symbol of patriotism, and we’re glad they’re doing it,” said Steve Fischer of the Keswick American Legion Post. “Organizations like this really show the spirit of America and try to display the freedoms that have been given to us by so many different generations.”